Hi Unaluna,

All utilities are included in my condo fees, including electricity, so it makes no difference to me financially if my heat SERVICE comes from the building or from an external, portable source.

It *is* a bad practice for the building at large to source heat electrically, tho, as electricity is more expensive than the building's hot water heating system. I guess they figure it is just a few of the small apartment-condos on the North side that have to run external, portable electric heaters tho, so the impact is not of any great concern.

An increase in electricity costs *is* passed on to us thru condo fees, tho, so it would be in the building's best interest to improve their own hot water heating system eventually. But our condo Board moves at a snail's pace, and it is hard to get anything done in the building of over 200 apartment-condos, so i'm not gonna hold my breath.

In the larger picture, the capital cost of the heater at $90 is worth it to solve the extreme, unbearable cold in my home, so i am trying not to mind having to foot the bill myself, tho it is one of the many irritations of living in a large, fifty-year-old condo-apartment building. Something is always broken. Maintenance is done diligently, but it's still annoying.

Financially, owning a small apartment-condo is fabulous, so i'll grin and bear all the minor irritations, and annoyances. After my mortgage runs out in five years, i'll only be responsible for condo fees, currently $375. I should qualify for property tax relief from the city, so my financial future as a 65+ looks solid.

The big advantage to living in a small apartment-condo in a big, mature building is that we have 50+ amenities, all of which i have access to, just the same as people who are paying five times my condo fees.

We have a lovely pool, in a ground-floor pool house of it's own, with skylights, and windows on all four sides. We have an aerobics studio with full-height mirrors, plenty of space for me to do my ballet stretching in front of the mirrors, an elliptical, two treadmills, a recumbent bike, etc. There's a monthly maintenance contract, so the machines are always in tip-top condition. The paint is a pretty pale green, and the floor is cushion-flooring, speckled salmon-colored sheet flooring.

We have a weight room, which i am not fit enough to use at this time, but it is there once i have recovered from my lifetime of anti-psychotic use, in several years, and have improved my aerobic fitness in the aerobics room. It has the same full-height mirrors, pretty paint, and attractive cushion flooring.

There is a party room, and lounge with cushy leather furniture for rent. A wedding, and reception were recently held there by a Muslim family i am fond of, and the room was decorated to perfection.

A graphic designer who is new to the building held a movie in the party room recently, and it was just over-the-top bursting with graphic design features, and cool video, and audio technology. It really bowled us all over. He's a welcome addition to our family here at the building.

There's a lovely guest suite for rent, for when visitors come, and you can each visit easily, without the nuisance of having them in your home. Each party can maintain privacy while the visit is conducted, with the ease of being just an elevator ride away from each other.

There's a herb garden in the Summer for fresh cuttings for salads. There's a dog-park, where dogs can run til their heart's content. There's an enormous backyard with courtyards, gas BBQs, picnic table, lawns, iron wrought benches, etc.

So while the building itself, and my small apartment-condo in particular *does* have it's headaches, all that is required is to be a little flexible. For this, i receive the bounty of the building, just the same as owners who paid five times what i paid for my home.

And i enjoy living in a small space. It is cozy. These people who are single and have three bedrooms, two living rooms, two bathrooms, and two balconies... They are *ONE* person! How may bedrooms, living rooms, bathrooms, and balconies can they be on at once? *Only one!* It is wasteful to live in such a large, excessive space. A maintenance headache, and stressful to live so expensively. You become a slave to your home.

Frugality was a value i learned early, and a value i have always had. I don't envy my neighbors with three bedrooms, living alone, because that is two more bedrooms to clean, repair, and maintain. I am into having *ENOUGH* but beyond that, it is just a burden, and you are in the service of your SPACE, and of the things you fill it with.